Birdwatching in May

Looking across the field at the Eagle Point Wildlife Management Area toward Lake Memphremagog

In my opinion the best time of year for birdwatching is during the spring migration. Not only is there the potential to see a wide variety of species, no matter what the weather, spotting a bird that has traveled hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of miles to reach its summer breeding ground is inspiring. I had the opportunity to go birding twice this morning. Two weeks ago, my son and daughter-in-law joined me and a group of New Hampshire birders early in the morning for the New Hampshire Audubon Society's annual warbler walk at Concord's Horseshoe Pond. It was a cold and damp, but any discomfort was quickly forgotten as the first bird, a yellow warbler, was spotted. The participants included several seasoned birders and one kept track of all the species that were identified and uploaded the list to the eBird website, which is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It was a highly successful walk, as 51 species were identified by the group. I only saw about half that number and the documented "loon" flyover just looked like a dark speck in the sky to me. But, I keep adding to my birder's life list and each year I can recognize a few more species.

This past weekend, I visited Eagle Point in the Missisquoi Wildlife Refuge, Derby, Vermont. The refuge is comprised of 420 acres in the U.S. and an additional 420 acres adjacent to the property in Canada. The area boasts a variety of habitats including open water, wetlands, fields and woodlands. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service has created a hiking path around the perimeter of the U.S. portion of the property, which makes it easy to explore.

Just before arriving at the parking lot, a pair of loons were skirting the shore of Lake Memphremagog. I have seen loons on the lake before, but never so close to the shore. They were just asking to be photographed.

Loons on

Lake Memphremagog

I parked my car at the second entrance off of Eagle Point Road. The open fields here provide the perfect habitat for swallows and grassland species such as the Bobolink.

Tree swallows in sumac bush

Bobolink on burdock

After crossing the field, the path continues along the Canada and United States Border with the Canadian side being mostly wooded. In this transitional area I spotted a Northern Oriole and a Northern Parula in an apple tree. Upon emerging from the Woodland loop, I saw a Northern Flicker which appeared to have been injured, but perhaps it was molting. One eye was closed and some feathers were missing from its breast. Right after that, I saw a beautiful Scarlet Tanager and a Yellow-rumped Warbler. 

Northern Flicker

Scarlet Tanager

Two and a half hours quickly passed and I returned to our condo the bird watching continued with a pair of Double-breasted Cormorants hanging out on our dock.

A pair of Double=breasted Cormorants appear engaged in conversation.

As the Memorial Weekend approaches, many, if not most, migratory birds have reached their breeding grounds. However, observations of migratory birds arrival dates is showing that they are being affected by seasonal variations as a result of climate change. This article in Scientific Reports shows that some species are making adjustments to their arrival dates, while others are not. What the long-term affects of this will be remain to be seen, but arriving to their breeding areas too soon may mean that food and shelter may not be available, which could result in dwindling populations.